Angel Zapata's Blog, page 9

MR. GLAMOUR by Richard Godwin

Mr. Richard Godwin, dubbed 'the Next Stephen King' by Don McCauley of CNN iReport for his debut novel Apostle Rising, is a prolific writer of immense talent. A very recent work, Schizo Numericus can be read on the site The Leaky Pencil for their 9 Days of Madness series. He is also host to some of the most thought-provoking and engaging interviews at his blog, Chin Wag at the Slaughterhouse. It's my sincere pleasure to feature a guest post by a brilliant author, Richard Godwin, who talks about his upcoming novel release of Mr. Glamour.

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Designer goods, beautiful women, wealthy men, a lifestyle preyed on by a serial killer.

A killer who is watching everyone, including the police.

Latest headlines?

No, an outline of my second novel, Mr. Glamour.

My debut novel Apostle Rising was published in paperback by Black Jackal Books last year. It was about a serial killer crucifying politicians, and sold extremely well, received excellent reviews, and sold foreign rights to the largest publisher in Hungary.

Now Black Jackal Books have published Mr. Glamour, and I'd like to tell you a bit about it. The settings are exotic, and the pages drip with wealth. The story's told in my usual style, and my readers will know what that means. I have been told I write with a blend of lyricism and graphic description. I like to explore what motivates people and I certainly do so with the leading characters in Mr. Glamour.

The two central cops, DCI Jackson Flare and Inspector Steele, are unusual and strong in their own ways, as reviewers are already picking up. At the beginning of the novel Steele hates working with Flare for personal reasons. She doesn't by the end, and the investigation takes them both on a journey which changes them and their opinions of one another.

Let me give you the setting if you are tempted to read Mr. Glamour.

Something dark is preying on the glitz of the glamour set. There is a lot about designer goods and lifestyles in Mr. Glamour. The killer knows all about design, he knows what brands mean to his victims. He is branding their skins. And he has the police stumped.

As Flare and Steele investigate the killings they enter an exclusive world with its own rules and quickly realise the man they are looking for is playing a game with them, a game they cannot interpret. The killer is targeting an exclusive group of people he seems to know a lot about.

The police investigation isn't helped by the fact that Flare and Steele have troubled lives. Harlan White, a pimp who got on the wrong side of Flare, is planning to have him killed. And Steele has secrets. She leads a double life. She is an interesting woman who pushes her sexual boundaries in private. She travels a journey into her own past and rescues herself. And in a strange way she is helped by the killer she is looking for. And Flare has some revelations in store.

As they try to catch a predator who has climbed inside their heads, they find themselves up
against a wall of secrecy. The investigation drives Flare and Steele to acts of darkness. And the killer is watching everyone.

Then there is the sub plot.

Contrasting this lifestyle is the suburban existence of Gertrude Miller, who acts out strange rituals, trapped in a sterile marriage to husband Ben. She cleans compulsively and seems to be hiding something from him, obsessed that she is being followed. As she slips into a psychosis, characters from the glamorous set stray into Gertrude's world, so the two plots dovetail neatly with one another.

And when Flare and Steele make an arrest they discover there is far more to this glamorous world than they realised. There is a series of shocks at the end of the novel as a set of fireworks go off. Watch out for the highly dramatic ending.

It is already picking up some great reviews.



Advance praise for Mr. Glamour:
"Richard Godwin knows how his characters dress, what they drink and what they drive. He knows how they live--- and how they die. Here's hoping no one recognized themselves in Godwin's cold canvas. Combines the fun of a good story with the joy of witty, vivid writing." Heywood Gould, author of The Serial Killer's Daughter.

"Smart, scary, suspenseful enough for me to keep the light on until 3AM on a Sunday night, Richard Godwin once more proves to fans of crime fiction the world over with Mr. Glamour, that he is not only one of the best contemporary writers of the procedural cop thriller around today, he is a master storyteller."
Vincent Zandri, author of Scream Catcher.

"Richard Godwin's top-of-the-line psychological police procedural driven by its heady pace, steely dialogue, and unsparing vision transfixes the reader from page one." Ed Lynskey, author of Skin In The Game.



"Mr. Glamour is a striking effort from one of the most daring crime writers in the business. It is the noirest of noir...and hellishly addictive."
Mike Stafford, BookGeeks Magazine.


"This first rate detective thriller will have you gripped from the start. Richard Godwin is an author not to be missed."
Sheila Quigley, author of Thorn In My Side.

"Mr Glamour is, in every sense of the word, the real McCoy: genuine hard boiled detective fiction. Lean, gritty, and tough, it's a journey into the heart of darkness ... you won't soon forget. Connoisseurs of Nouveau Noir will have to add Richard Godwin to the list of writers to watch!"
C E Lawrence, author of Silent Kills.



"Involving and compellingly sinister, Richard Godwin's Mr. Glamour portrays cops and criminals, the mad and the driven in a novel of psychological noir. Read it while snuggling with your stuffed teddy bear for comfort."
Gary Phillips, author of Treacherous: Grifters, Ruffians and Killers



"This is one outstanding novel written by one amazing author."
Fran Lewis Review



I think Mr. Glamour will appeal to mystery and crime aficionados, to readers interested in psychological profiling and designer lifestyles, to thriller and noir fans, and to anyone who enjoys a fast paced narrative with strong characters.


Mr. Glamour can be bought now at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, at all good retailers online, and in stores in April. If you Google it you should see a range of options come up.


And you can find out more about me at my website and my stories here.

Five Sentence Fiction: Tattered

I stumbled upon Lillie McFerrin's Five Sentence Fiction site and decided to join in on the fun. Per Lillie's blog, "Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction."

This week's word is Tattered. Go ahead and give it a try. Here's my take:

Tattered

She no longer lets me see her face. At first, it was the way she combed her hair, but after awhile I noticed light bulbs missing from lamps and ceiling fans. One night, she returned from the drugstore with gauze and wrapped her entire head in tatters of white cloth. Now she's become a mummy, shuffling through dark hallways and rooms, moaning and mourning for our dead child. I drained the swimming pool months ago, but she still won't go near it.


Copyright © 2012 Angel Zapata

100 Horrors: Tales of Horror in the Blink of an Eye

It's available now from Cruentus Libri Press for your Kindle! It contains one hundred, 100-word stories of horror. My story, Resurrection Love is included. Purchase it at Amazon!

Per their website: This anthology contains stories from the following word-class authors: Phil Ambler, Sharla Anderson, A.R. Aston, Darren Barker, Colin F. Barnes, Nathan Barnes, Anne E. Barringer, C.G. Bauer, David Bernstein, Stacy Bolli, Cheryl Brandys, Jason D. Brawn, Robert D. Brewer, Russell Brown, Kevin G. Bufton, Nate D. Burleigh, J.D. Carter, S.J. Caunt, Lily Childs, Alex Clements, R. M. Cochran, Scott Cole, Josh Cook, Anthony Cowin, Marius Renos Dicomites, Michael Dortmundt, James Everington, James Fadeley, Kurt Fawver, Ed Fortune, J. Rodimus Fowler, Jamie Freeman, Charlotte Emma Gledson, Ken Goldman, Rich Gray, Rachel Green, V.Ð. Griedoorn, Naryssa Eve Hamilton, Miriam H. Harrison, Tony Healey, Quinn Hernandez, Christopher Hivner, Gill Hoffs, Jack Horne, Sebastian J. Howley, Paul S. Huggins, Allen Jacoby, William J. Joel, K. Trap Jones, Neil Kloster, Kim Krodel, Lisamarie Lamb, Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw, David Lightfoot, Bob Lock, Aurelio Rico Lopez III, Chris Marrs, Cee Martinez, Jon McAchren, L.H. McGuire, Jessica McHugh, Alec McQuay, Kate Monroe, Matt Moody, Noah Mullette-Gillman, David Naughton-Shires, Peter Newman, Paco, I.S. Paton, Dan Pawley, Jeremy Peterson, Daniel E. Potts, Bruce L. Priddy, Shawn M. Riddle, Suzanne Robb, R. Phillip Roberts, S. Wayne Roberts, Nathan Robinson, H.J. Rodgers, Robert Ropars, Brian Rosenberger, Abigail Runkle, Brandon Scott, Marc Shapiro, Lance Shoeman, Lisa Ann Smith, James Steele, Kristal Stittle, Gene Tanta, David Thomas, Alexander W. Tkachuk, Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, Laura Ann Via, Jonathan Ward, Ren Warom, Pavelle Wesser, Neil Weston, Andrew J. Wilson, John Xero and Angel Zapata.

My sincere thanks to editor and writer Kevin G. Bufton.

Trestle Press Copyright Infringement Allegations

Many of you are probably aware there's been a buzz regarding artistic copyright infringements by Trestle Press. I don't have the time or the energy to list the growing list of links. It's out there if you feel like spending the time Googling away.

My decision based on the evidence was to sever ties with my publisher. What follows is the exact e-mail I sent to publisher, Giovanni Gelati:

"Wow, I've been reading all the posts regarding Trestle. I've also read your posts regarding the facts. It's definitely disappointing and I'm sorry this has happened regardless of intent. I was really looking forward to working with you. At this point, I've had way too many bad experiences with copyright infringements and plagiarism, and don't want to be part of a heartbreak to anyone's creation. Sadly, and I do mean sadly, I will need to sever our relationship. I have nothing personal against you, but I've made up my mind.

Please remove my series, The Man of Shadows from the Trestle Press catalogue, provide me sales figures, and send all royalties owed to my Paypal acct.

I hate this has happened.

Angel Zapata"

And his response:

"sure thing, thanks."

Oh, well. I guess that fuckin' sums it up.

The Man of Shadows, Volume Three-- Coming Soon!

[image error] THE MAN OF SHADOWS: Volume Three

Loraine's daughter, Eva, is found murdered, mutilated; and the only person that can help her avenge the young woman's death is an old witch who uses a victim's bones to track down the killer in "The Hired Hand."

"Things are Looking Up" for a recently staked vampire who has somehow attracted the attention of two curious gravediggers.

Lady Red and her hirsute companion, Clawbear, are seeking revenge in the fairytale "Grim and Grisly Shades of Red." The monster that killed her grandma has now abducted some of the village children and taken them deep into the woods.

Brandon has picked the wrong kid to tease in "Diamond in the Rough."

"Dead Flames" depicts the melancholy of zombie love.

"Mad Dash" is in a hurry to get away from his crazy date, but she has no intention of leaving… ever.

The Sunshine Harvest Food Bank is having another "Food Drive" at the homeless shelter. Ex-vet, Don is doing his best to convince his buddy, Max Borden, that the women of the Community Senior Center who sponsor the drive aren't human.

"The Last Day of Christmas" may have finally happened for the wishful Jason Howard.

It's all about the "Aftertaste" for Todd Dimwalt, a man who's bitten off more than he's able to chew.

Angel Zapata was born in NYC, but now lives near Augusta, Georgia. Some of his fiction and poetry has appeared in the Toe Tags Anthology, Mausoleum Memoirs, Long Live the New Flesh: Year One and Year Two, The Best of Every Day Fiction: Volume 2, Howl: Dark Tales of the Feral and Infernal, Branded Words , The Best of Every Day Poets , and the zombie anthology: Putrid Poetry and Sickening Sketches . He is also author of the Trestle Press short story horror series, The Man of Shadows.

Buy One Get One FREE at Trestle Press

NOW through Sunday, January 22, 2012, Trestle Press has a BUY ONE TITLE GET ONE TITLE FREE SALE !!

All of our titles are part of this sale. All of our authors will be participating in it. AND all you have to do is purchase one of our stories, send us the proof of purchase, and we will be happy to send you the title of your choice that is of equal value.
You can send the proof of purchase by email to one of the following:
-the authors of the titles you purchased and get your free titles directly from them.
-Trestle Press: trestlepress@gmail.com
-Giovanni Gelati: gelati.giovanni@gmail.com

We have a wealth of talented authors at Trestle Press and there are many great stories to discover and read. As the week goes on there will be a few surprises thrown into this sale, so please stay tuned to our website or your favorite authors' websites or blogs.

Feel free to follow us for all the upcoming news and events surrounding all of the Trestle Press authors as they create more Best-Selling novels, novellas, short stories and series for you to follow and enjoy.
We hope that you will join us and our authors as we make our journey and try to blaze a new trail in this wide open world of publishing. Without you all is for naught; for everything we do, we do for you the reader!

Have fun and happy reading!!
Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this includes Volume One and Volume Two of my horror short story series THE MAN OF SHADOWS . Volume Three is coming soon!

Shirt City Blues at The Flash Fiction Offensive

My latest story, Shirt City Blues has been published at that seething cauldron of crime/noir, The Flash Fiction Offensive . The entire piece is nothing but dialogue between an abusive father and his cunning son.

Writer/editor David Barber has put together a dynamite e-zine of gritty and sometimes downright nasty works from a slew of talented writers. Spend some time at TFFO; you won't regret it.

And just in case you missed it, back in December my story, Dead Giveaway also appeared on The Flash Fiction Offensive. This tale is about a guy who, after spending twenty-five years in prison, returns to the old neighborhood. Gone are the pool halls and strip joints and in are the Walmart shopping centers and Disney souvenir shops. Things do not go well for him.

My Interview at the Flash Fiction Chronicles

Rumjhum Biswas interviews me over at the Flash Fiction Chronicles. We talk about the writing life, short-short stories, and the challenges of penning a 5x5 Fiction piece.

Thank you, Rumjhum! I really had a wonderful time.

http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashf...

Nailpolish Stories: a Tiny and Colorful Literary Journal

I have three pieces up today at Nailpolish Stories: a Tiny and Colorful Literary Journal. Editor, writer, and creator, Nicole Monaghan , has taken micro fiction to the next level. I'll let her explain: "I had this idea a while back that stories should be made of the flashy names of nailpolish colors. I think the seed for this was planted when I was old enough to paint my nails. As a little girl, I remember thinking, Whose job is it to make up nailpolish color names? I was aware, on some level, of all the possible stories each one suggested."

Full guidelines can be found here , but the bare basics are:


Use a nailpolish color as the title.
Stories should be exactly 25 words, title not included.I was amazed at just how original and fun nail polish names can be: Fuchsia Fever, Hot for Chocolate, and the aptly named Endless Possibilities.

Stop by, read my stories Emerald City, Cherries in the Snow, Don't Feed the Hand Models , and the fantastic work of many other talented writers.

Huge thanks to Nicole Monaghan!

The Man of Shadows, Volume Two available now!

Hopefully, you've read volume one and have been eagerly awaiting the next installment. Well it's available now! The Man of Shadows: Volume Two .

CONTENTS:
Cheese, The Bridge, A Woman of Taste, Surrogate Fruit, Whipping Boy, Summer of Crows, Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, Deep Within the Heart of Thieves, Initiation, Detour, Death Reversal

THE MAN OF SHADOWS: Synopsis of Volume Two
In "Cheese," Anthony Creel's mother does her best to convince him the Boogeyman doesn't exist, but that belief is short-lived.

"The Bridge" pits the superstitious and neurotically-challenged, Benson against the very real presence of a modern-day troll.

Darlene is out to prove to her reluctant guests that she truly is "A Woman of Taste."

An outdoor produce market offers Rojelia the "Surrogate Fruit" of witchcraft.

Jonas is just another religious cult "Whipping Boy" until a would-be rescuer arrives.

A "Summer of Crows" finds seven year-old, Monica spending her time burying dead birds on her family's land, but a sudden, infectious outbreak may have the ability to raise them from the grave.

We all have fears, but Jim's having a devil of a time convincing his buddy of his nearly unpronounceable "Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia."

It was supposed to be an easy bank job for Kenny and his crew, but no one took into account the entity that sees "Deep Within the Heart of Thieves."

The anxiety of going through a zombie "Initiation" has Blake feeling the all too familiar sting of peer pressure.

An inadvertent "Detour" finds a young boy stranded on a foreign planet.

"Death Reversal" depicts a grief-stricken wife attempting to resurrect the husband she murdered by making a long distance call… to hell.